Mr Omotoso, who denied the 32 charges against him, was accused of sexually assaulting young women from his church in Port Elizabeth. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it will still appeal against the judgement which found Mr Omotoso not guilty, saying his presence is not required. Mr Omotoso was first arrested in 2017 as he attempted to leave South Africa. In a statement, South African prosecutors accepted "there are no legal grounds to prevent" Mr Omotoso from leaving the country following his acquittal. However, if the appeal were allowed, the authorities would apply for Mr Omotoso to be extradited back to South Africa, the statement added, highlighting South Africa's "bilateral extradition treaty with Nigeria".